Does the repeated gambles procedure measure impulsivity in social drinkers

P. Sarfati and K. G. White (1991) found that heavy social drinkers were more risk averse than light drinkers in a repeated gambles procedure. Given a theoretical argument that risk aversion corresponds to impulsivity in this context, this result implied that heavy drinkers are more impulsive than light drinkers. The present study sought to replicate this finding, and, by administering questionnaire measures of impulsivity, to explore the relation between drinking and impulsivity as measured by the repeated gambles procedure and impulsivity as measured by questionnaires. Results showed more impulsivity among heavy drinkers than light drinkers on the questionnaires but not on choices during the repeated gambles procedure. These results question the utility of the repeated gambles procedure as a measure of impulsivity and as a useful vehicle for studying the drinking-impulsivity relation.